Updated 2026-09-07

Building Code Glossary

Fines: Building Code Definition

How the IFC 2009 define fines, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

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Last updated September 7, 2026 · Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

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Direct answer

Fines is a defined term in the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009, in Lumber Yards and Woodworking Facilities. The code's own words are: “Small pieces or splinters of wood byproducts that will pass through a 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) screen.” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IFC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 12 chapters of this corpus, most often in Flammable Solids (IFC 2009), Lumber Yards and Woodworking Facilities (IFC 2009), Means of Egress (IBC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted. Record the jurisdiction, the adopted edition, the application date and any local amendment that rewrites the definition before you use it on a live project, because a term redefined by amendment changes every requirement that depends on it.

Content and cited inputs reviewed by Scott Barrington, Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.

What does this term mean?

Fines — IFC 2009, Lumber Yards and Woodworking Facilities:

Small pieces or splinters of wood byproducts that will pass through a 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) screen.

Labeled code-term definition diagram: Fines: Building Code Definition — How the IFC 2009 define fines, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.

What must be verified before using this guidance?

Fines is defined once in this corpus, in the Lumber Yards and Woodworking Facilities chapter of the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009:

Small pieces or splinters of wood byproducts that will pass through a 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) screen.

Where fines is used in the code

The term appears in 12 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next.

Chapter	Code	Mentions
Flammable Solids	IFC 2009	4
Lumber Yards and Woodworking Facilities	IFC 2009	4
Means of Egress	IBC 2009	2
Climate Zones	IECC 2009	2
Definitions	IECC 2009	2
Manufacture of Organic Coatings	IFC 2009	2
Means of Egress	IFC 2009	2
Definitions	IRC 2009	2
Traps	IRC 2009	2
Definitions	IFC 2009	1
Explosives and Fireworks	IFC 2009	1
Highly Toxic and Toxic Materials	IFC 2009	1

The term in use

How the code actually writes about fines, quoted from the 2009 text hosted here:

Magnesium fines shall be kept separate from other combustible materials.

— IFC 2009 §3606.4.1

The storage and processing of wood chips, hogged materials, fines, compost and raw product produced from yard waste, debris and recycling facilities shall comply with Sections 1908.2 through 1908.10.

— IFC 2009 §1908.1

Fines: what to open, and in what order

Every row is a document this term depends on. The ICC code library and the ICC adoption maps cover the middle rows.

Check	Where	Confirmed
Read the definition in the adopted IFC	Lumber Yards and Woodworking Facilities
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Flammable Solids (IFC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Lumber Yards and Woodworking Facilities (IFC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Means of Egress (IBC 2009)
Re-check the requirement that uses it	Climate Zones (IECC 2009)
Local amendment to any of the above	Jurisdiction's amendment list

A research aid, not a code determination. The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply.

Sources and method

Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The ICC code library publishes the current model text and the ICC adoption maps show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

Source links

Frequently asked questions

What is the code definition of fines?

The International Fire Code (IFC) 2009 defines it in Lumber Yards and Woodworking Facilities as: “Small pieces or splinters of wood byproducts that will pass through a 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) screen.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally.

Which parts of the code depend on fines?

In this corpus the term is used across 12 chapters, led by Flammable Solids in the IFC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own.

What do fines mean?

In the 2009 I-Codes hosted here it is a defined term rather than a description. The IFC 2009 states, in Lumber Yards and Woodworking Facilities: “Small pieces or splinters of wood byproducts that will pass through a 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) screen.” It is defined in IFC 2009. Because it is a defined term, whatever the adopted edition says it means is what every section using it means — so check Chapter 2 of that edition and any local amendment before relying on this wording.

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